*WARNING: Post contains images of dead birds*
Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management writes about the implications of a new paper from the RSPB, published today in the Biological Conservation journal which shows a clear link between the death and disappearance of Hen Harrier and grouse moor management.
The “sky-dancing” display of a beautiful grey and black male Hen Harrier in April and May on moorland areas is a truly wonderful sight. The male courts the female by bringing her tokens of prey, passing them to her in the air through a process of dropping and catching, alongside repeated high-pitched chittering calls. Sadly, very few of us get to witness this natural wonder due to the illegal killing of these specially protected birds.
Hen Harrier Rannoch, as a chick in 2017 (Image Credit: Brian Etheridge)
New research has found that illegal killing accounts for up to 75% of annual mortality in Hen Harriers between one and two years of age, and that mortality due to illegal killing was significantly higher in areas managed for Red Grouse shooting. This new study by RSPB Senior Conservation Scientist Steven Ewing and published in the highly regarded Biological Conservation journal adds to the overwhelming evidence of the scale of wildlife crime impacting Hen Harrier and other bird of prey populations.
Scotland has about 70-80% of the UK breeding population of Hen Harriers. The 2016 national survey estimated there are 460 breeding pairs here. However, a 2011 UK Government report “A Conservation Framework for Hen Harriers”, suggests that there is enough habitat for about 1500 breeding pairs of hen harriers in Scotland – three times the current population.
While there are a range of pressures on Hen Harriers including loss of nesting habitats, grazing, and fox predation, the primary cause of the UK population decline is human persecution, despite this species having the highest level of protection. In areas where there is no human persecution – large parts of the north and west Highlands, and many islands – Hen Harrier populations are stable or increasing.
The illegal killing is largely taking place in areas managed for driven grouse shooting. Each year we see Hen Harriers trying to breed in grouse moor areas and then birds and nests disappearing in suspicious circumstances. Legal measures such as diversionary feeding of hen harrier nests have been developed at the Langholm Moor Demonstration Project and proven successful, yet not taken up by grouse moor managers. Stopping the illegal killing would see an immediate recovery in the UK and Scotland Hen Harrier population.
The new study used data from GPS satellite tags fitted on Hen Harriers by the Hen Harrier LIFE project to better understand their dispersal and survival and to target conservation efforts. Over 140 tags were fitted to Hen Harriers across the UK, with most fitted in Scotland.
The team looked at survival rates, causes of death whether natural or through illegal killing, and associations between mortality and land managed for grouse shooting.
By May 2021 at the end of the study six tagged Hen Harriers were confirmed to have been illegally killed following post-mortem and a further 44 birds out of a total of 140 birds marked were found to have disappeared in suspicious circumstances, and where tag data indicates that illegal killing was the most likely cause of death.
Rannoch was illegally killed on a Perthshire grouse moor in 2019. (Credit: RSPB Images)
The paper also found that between 21-41% of mortality in birds up to a year old and up to 75% of the mortality of Hen Harriers aged between one and two years old was attributable to illegal killing. A 10% increase in grouse moor use by the Hen Harriers resulted in a 43% increase in the risk of the birds dying. Hotspots of illegal killing include areas identified as grouse moors in the central and eastern Highlands of Scotland.
A similar study on Golden Eagles in 2017 found that between 2004-16 131 birds were marked - and of these 41 (31%) were either confirmed to have been illegally killed or disappeared in suspicious circumstances, and mainly in grouse moor areas. Areas of the central and eastern Highlands were explicitly identified in this report as well as the hotspots for these crimes.
This report prompted Roseanna Cunningham MSP, then Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, to commission the independent Review of Grouse Moor Management chaired by Professor Alan Werritty. In its response to this Review in November 2020, the Scottish Government accepted most of the recommendations and proposed new legislation to licence grouse shooting - specifically to tackle raptor persecution associated with grouse moors, as well as to licence all muirburn to protect peatlands. RSPB Scotland has strongly and publicly welcomed these proposals.
Yet, illegal persecution of birds of prey has remained an ongoing issue in Scotland. Already this year, we have seen the conviction of an Inverness-shire grouse moor gamekeeper for killing a Sparrowhawk in 2021, and last month on a Morayshire grouse moor two members of the public witnessed a Red Kite shot out of the air in front of their eyes.
What is clear is that these wildlife crimes cannot be allowed to continue, and urgent action is needed. In the coming months, the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee of the Scottish Parliament will start hearing evidence in relation to the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill which proposes to introduce grouse moor and muirburn licencing, including the ultimate sanction of the removal of the right to shoot grouse where bird of prey persecution is happening. Whilst this proposed legislation is clearly a step in the right direction, and we welcome the intent of the Scottish Government, it needs to be watertight and effective. On this basis, we will be scrutinising this legislation carefully and offering our thoughts and advice based on our longstanding involvement with this serious conservation issue.
We hope to be called to give evidence in due course and we will be sharing this latest Hen Harrier research with the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee. We will also be working to brief MSPs on the scale and impacts of illegal bird of prey killing in Scotland and ask them to hold the line to prevent further loss of these amazing species.,
The future needs to be better for the beautiful Hen Harrier and the shameful illegal killing needs to end.